Associate Publisher, NPJ Series

BioMed Central Ltd; Pune District; Hybrid; INR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

BioMed Central Ltd seeks an Associate Publisher to manage a portfolio of npj journals in Clinical Medicine, operating in a hybrid model across Milan and Pune. The role focuses on development, partnerships and journal growth within an open-access framework.

You will lead editorial relationships, negotiate with societies, and drive KPI-based improvements, collaborating with production, IT and editorial colleagues to deliver best-in-class author experiences.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• IT systems-literate, with a sharp eye for detail.
• Positive and proactive approach to problem solving, taking ownership to drive and complete tasks.
• Ability to work cooperatively with colleagues at all levels and as part of a team.
• Experience developing and maintaining productive relations with academic and industry-based researchers.
• Strong time management and organizational skills; including proven ability to take ownership to drive and complete tasks, to consistently meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop journals to deliver a best-in-class author experience and foster engagement with Societies, Editors-in-Chief and Editorial Board Members.
• Drive growth and development of a group of open access journals as part of a defined portfolio using market intelligence and business development.
• Manage relationships with partner societies, including contract negotiations and maintaining productive partnerships.
• Collaborate with Production, IT and other departments to resolve author/editor/reviewer issues promptly.
• Monitor KPIs, analyze data and report performance to inform decisions and drive results.
• Oversee Journal Development/Improvement Plans and implement measurable improvements.
• Represent the team in meetings with external EiCs, EBMs and society partners to identify opportunities and shape portfolio direction.

Skills

Portfolio mgmt

Business development

Negotiation

Stakeholder mgmt

Data analysis

Communication

Project mgmt

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Editorial systems

Job description

Job Summary

Job title: Associate Publisher, NPJ Series

Locations: Milan and Pune - Hybrid Working Model

Role Overview

We are seeking an Associate Publisher to manage a portfolio of proprietary and society open access journals published under the npj brand. The npjs are fully open-access Nature Portfolio academic journals that together span a wide range of research, from fundamental physics to clinical research to engineering. Each npj is targeted to a specific scientific community and is launched and run in collaboration with preeminent scientists. Reporting to an Executive Publisher you will be responsible for the management, strategic development and success of the individual journals within the Clinical Medicine field. This role involves liaising with internal staff, external journal editors, and the scientific community.

Responsibilities

• Develop journals to deliver a best-in-class author experience and foster maximum engagement from Societies, Editors-in-Chief and Editorial Board Members (EBMs), demonstrating strong Persuasion and Business Development skills to build engagement and support journal growth.
• Drive the growth and development of a group of open access journals as part of a strategically defined overall portfolio within the Journals group, using Portfolio Development & Management, Market Intelligence and Business Development skills to identify opportunities and shape the future direction of the portfolio.
• Manage the complexities of relationships with partner societies, including contract negotiations, applying strong Negotiation Skills, Persuasion and Decision Quality to achieve sustainable outcomes and maintain productive partnerships.
• Develop strong working relationships with colleagues in Production, IT and other departments to ensure that any problems encountered by your journals, and particularly by authors, editors and peer reviewers, are swiftly and effectively resolved, demonstrating Resilience and a strong focus on Drives Results.
• Ensure that all KPIs are regularly monitored, reported and met, using Data Analysis / Quantitative Skills to assess journal performance, identify trends and inform Decision Quality, with appropriate action taken to Drive Results.
• Manage annual Journal Development/Improvement Plans and oversee their implementation and successful conclusion, using Portfolio Development and Market Intelligence to identify priorities and deliver measurable improvements.
• Resolve pre- and post-publication issues raised by staff, Editorial Board Members (EBMs) and readers (e.g. authorship, scope, ethics and consent, misconduct, policies), demonstrating Decision Quality, Resilience and the ability to Drive Results in complex or sensitive situations.
• Attend external meetings (in-person or virtual) to build close working relationships with external EiCs, EBMs, society partners and the wider research community, using Market Intelligence, Business Development and Persuasion to understand stakeholder needs and identify opportunities for journal development.
• Represent the team in projects with Production, Sales, Marketing, Finance and other Editorial colleagues, contributing Market Intelligence, Data Analysis / Quantitative Skills and Portfolio Development & Management perspectives to support effective decision-making and the continued development of the journal portfolio.

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, preferably in a relevant field of study
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• IT systems-literate, with a sharp eye for detail
• Positive and proactive approach to problem solving, taking ownership to drive and complete tasks
• Ability to work cooperatively with colleagues at all levels and as part of a team
• Experience developing and maintaining productive and friendly relations/partnerships with academic and industry-based researchers
• Strong time management and organizational skills; including proven ability to take ownership to drive and complete tasks, to consistently meet deadlines, and to adapt quickly to change
• Resourceful and proactive in dealing with problems and queries
• Previous experience in academic publishing preferred